Youth Empowerment
Why it matters
Empowering Youth in Health Care
Empowering youth to actively participate in their health care leads to more preventive visits and lifelong engagement in their health and well-being. Health care professionals can implement programs and practices to develop adolescents into knowledgeable and engaged health care consumers. Additionally, health care professionals can improve the quality of their care by centering the values and opinions of the young people they serve. The following resources can help you along the way.
Încă de la începutul pandemiei, institutele de cercetare și companiile farmaceutice le-au folosit împotriva SARS-CoV-2. De exemplu, în octombrie 2020, Donald Trump, care a fost infectat cu coronavirusul, a primit un tratament experimental la acest site bazat pe anticorpi monoclonali. De atunci, acest protocol de tratament a fost aprobat oficial în mai multe țări, inclusiv în Franța.
This photo is part of our Youth in Health: Inclusive Stock Photography Collection.
Youth/Adult Co-Facilitation Modules
When youth and adults team up to facilitate a training or presentation on an adolescent-related topic, it can benefit everyone involved. Young people bring theory to life through sharing their lived experiences, priorities, and perspectives. The opportunity to recognize and share their expertise can be a great professional development opportunity for youth, and for their adult partners as well.
Since our first conference in 2013, AHI has been connecting youth and adult facilitators to help them present on adolescent health-related topics, and we’ve learned some things along the way! Our staff and youth council members co-created three modules to help youth and adults co-facilitate in meaningful ways. The modules can be used together, or as standalone resources. Each resource includes activities and strategies to support a model of shared power in planning and facilitation.
Strategies for Providing Youth-Friendly Services
Starter Guides
AHI offers mini-toolkits that offer concrete, actionable steps to improve adolescent care. Check out this Starter Guide to learn about strategies for providing youth-friendly services.
Spark trainings
Sparks are designed for providers or staff to deliver in 15-30 minutes at staff meetings or professional development opportunities. These trainings will “spark” discussion and reflection among your multidisciplinary team. All sparks include a PowerPoint presentation, a facilitator outline, and follow-up materials.
Non-Directive Counseling for Pregnancy Options in Title X Clinics
Explore the ways Title X clinic staff can create a nonjudgmental culture for adolescent and young adult clients who present for pregnancy options counseling.
Youth-Friendly Materials
Youth empowerment can be impacted through programming, visual cues, and one-on-one conversations with patients. AHI offers resources on all three!
Assessment tool and facilitator guide used to engage young people in evaluating the youth-friendliness of health centers. Accompanying video available.
Poster to guide youth as they take more ownership over their health care. Accompanying teen and parent/caregiver handouts available. Contact us to request a free printed copy.
Poster to guide youth as they take more ownership over their health care in Spanish. Accompanying teen and parent/caregiver handouts available. Contact us to request a free printed copy.
Sample health rights for teens poster to display in exam and waiting rooms. Contact us for a poster specific to your state!
Manual to establish and sustain a Youth Advisory Council. Additional Appendix found here.
Videos
Hear directly from teens about how you can improve their health care experience.
Teen Self-Advocacy: How To Be Your Own Health Care Advocate
Share ways teens can advocate for themselves to get the quality health care they deserve.
Additional Resources
We Can Help
Are you interested in empowering youth to be savvy health care consumers? Would you like to learn strategies to get authentic youth feedback on your adolescent services? We can help!
